Adjustable height propeller and drive assembly



June 1965 T. B. EDWARDS 3,187,709

ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT PROPELLER AND DRIVE ASSEMBLY Filed March 15, 1963 a z 7w itlll-lllllli INVENTOR. Tneoooznc B. Eowgzos A-rw-oeNey ing screw 42 prevents the elevating screw from being withdrawn completely from nut 43;

It should be obvious that other elevating means may be. substituted for elevating screw 4-2 to effect the raising and lowering of steering bar 26. For example a rack and pinion arrangement might be used with the rack afiixed to the steering bar and the elevating motor atlixed to worm gear 30 but placed off to one side from which point it could drive the rack member in an upward or downward direction by a pinion gear. The elevating screw arrangement illustrated is to be preferred, however, since it is the more compact and less subject to breakdown.

The mode of operation of the adjustable height propeller and drive assembly will be reviewed. The propeller is driven by the crafts engine through driving memher 6, upper bevel gears 12 and 13, driving sleeve 14, vertical drive shaft 17, lower bevel gears 22 and 23 and propeller shaft 24. For steering or reversing the craft, the propeller assembly 26 is caused to rotate about a vertical axis by the rotation of steering bar 26. Bar 26 is turned by steering tube 27 and worm gear 30 in response to the action of steering motor 38. Propeller assembly 20 is raised or lowered along a vertical axis by elevating motor which through the interaction of ele vating screw 4-2 and nut 43 causes steering bar 26 to slide up and down within steering tube 27. i

Many changes may be made in the mechanism illustrated without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the steering and elevating motors might be removed to remote locations. and suitable mechanical link- .13

age used to turn steering tube 27 and elevating screw 42; or the steering tube and elevating screw might be operated manually.

I claim:

1. In comlbination with a water vehicle having a motive power source and a transom; a driving member connected at one end to said motive source and passing horizontally through said transom; a housing means, means for securing said housing means to said transom, the other end of said driving member extending into saidhousing means; an upper bevel pinion and upper bevel gear, said bevel pinion secured to the last said end of said drivin'g memher, a driving sleeve, said driving sleeve secured to said upper bevel gear, a driving shaft, said driving shaft slideably and vertically mounted in said driving sleeve, first keying means between said driving sleeve and said .driving shaft for maintaining the driving shaft and driving sleeve in fixed rotational movement and in slideably vertical movement; a propeller assembly including a driving transmission means, a propeller housing means and a propeller, said driving transmission means including a lower bevel pinion and lower bevel gear, said driving shaft being connected to said lower bevel pinion, a propeller shaft connected at one end of said lower bevel gear and at the other end to said propeller, said propeller shaft being horizontally disposed; steering means for said propeller assembly including steering gear means, steering power means for delivering steering power to said steering gear means, a hollow steering bar having a lower and an upper end, said lower end being secured to said propeller housing, saidv upper end extended within. said lower bevel pinion, said driving shaft and said driving sleeve, asteering sleeve surrounding the upper end of said steering bar at its lower end and connected to said steeringgear means at its upper end, second keying said steering bar and steering sleeve for locking said propeller as* sembly from rotation in response to power from said motive power. source and for rotation in response to power from said steering power means, said steering power means secured to said frame, said steering gear means opera'tively connected to said steering power means and bearing means for supporting said steering gear means within said frame; a propeller assembly raising means including a propeller assembly raising power means se cured to the top of said frame, flange means rigidly se cured to the interior of said hollow steering bar, and elongated raising means connected to said raising power means at its upper end and cooperatively connected to said flange at its lower end whereby said hollow steering bar is raised and, lowered in response to power from said raising power means; said elongated raising means extending into said hollow steering bar and said drive shaft extending into said frame whensaid propeller assembly is raised.

2. In combination with a water vehicle having a motive power source and a transom; power delivery means including first, hollow second, hollow third and fourth driving means, first and second bevel gears, first and sec- .ond bevel pinions and a propeller, said first driving means connected between said motive power source and said first bevel gear, said second driving means comprising a sleeve connected to said first bevel pinion, said third driv ing means connected at its lower end to said second bevel gear and extending into said second driving means, first keying means for providing a rotation lock and telescoping movement between said second and third driving means, said fourth driving means connected between said second bevel pinion and said propeller; first and second housing means, first bearing means for mounting said first bevel pinion and said first bevel gear in said first housing means whereby said first and second driving means are substantially right angularly disposed, second bearing means for mounting said second bevel pinion and said second bevel gear in said second housing means whereby said third .and fourth driving means are substantially right angularly disposed; propeller steering means including first hollow steering means rigidly fixed to said second housing means and extending through said third driving means, second hollow steering means, steering gears and steeringpower means, said second hollow steering means connected at one end to saidsteering gears and said steering gears connected to said steering power means, said second hollow steeringmeans telescoping over said first hollow steering means away from said first end, second keying means for providing rotational lock and telescoping movement between said first and second hollow steeringmeans, said steering power means rigidly mounted on said first housing means; and propeller raising means including a propeller raising power means, a securing means having'a mechanical connection therein, said securing means secured to said first hollow steering means in the interior thereof, and mechanical means connected between said raising power means and said mechanical connection whereby said pro- ;pell'er is raised upon the application of power from said raising power means.

' References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,124,645 1/ 15 Over-ton -41 1,385,130 7/21 Hooke 11-5-41 X 2,302,795 1'1/42 Noble 115-41 7 3,122,123 2/ 64 Sh'all better et al ll54l FOREIGN PATENTS 793,410 4/ 58' Great Britain.

\FERGUS s. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A WATER VEHICLE HAVING A MOTIVE POWER SOURCE AND A TRANSOM; A DRIVING MEMBER CONNECTED AT ONE END OF SAID MOTIVE SOURCE AND PASSING HORIZONTALLY THROUGH SAID TRANSOM; A HOUSING MEANS, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID HOUSING MEANS TO SAID TRANSOM, THE OTHER END OF SAID DRIVING MEMBER EXTENDING INTO SAID HOUSING MEANS; AN UPPER BEVEL PINION AND UPPER BEVEL GEAR, SAID BEVEL PINION SECURED TO THE LAST SAID END OF SAID DRIVING MEMBER, A DRIVING SLEEVE, SAID DRIVING SLEEVE SECURED TO SAID UPPER BEVEL GEAR, A DRIVING SHAFT, SAID DRIVING SHAFT SLIDEABLY AND VERTICALLY MOUNTED IN SAID DRIVING SLEEVE, FIRST KEYING MEANS BETWEEN SAID DRIVING SLEEVE AND SAID DRIVING SHAFT FOR MAINTAINING THE DRIVING SHAFT AND DRIVING SLEEVE IN FIXED ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT AND IN SLIDEABLY VERTICAL MOVEMENT; A PROPELLER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A DRIVING TRANSMISSION MEANS, A PROPELLER HOUSING MEANS AND A PROPELLER, SAID DRIVING TRANSMISSION MEANS INCLUDING A LOWER BEVEL PINION AND LOWER BEVEL GEAR, SAID DRIVING SHAFT BEING CONNECTED TO SAID LOWER BEVEL PINION, A PROPELLER SHAFT CONNECTED AT ONE END OF SAID LOWER BEVEL GEAR AND AT THE OTHER END TO SAID PROPELLER, SAID PROPELLER SHAFT BEING HORIZONTALY DISPOSED; STEERING MEANS FOR SAID PROPELLER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING STEERING GEAR MEANS, STEERING POWER MEANS FOR DELIVERING STEERING POWER TO SAID STEERING GEAR MEANS, A HOLLOW STEERING BAR HAVING A LOWER AND AN UPPER END, SAID LOWER END BEING SECURED TO SAID PROPELLER HOUSING, SAID UPPER END EXTENDED WITHIN SAID LOWER BEVEL PINION, SAID DRIVING SHAFT AND SAID DRIVING SLEEVE, A STEERING SLEEVE SURROUNDING THE UPPER END OF SAID STEERING BAR AT ITS LOWER END AND CONNECTED TO SAID STEERING GEAR MEANS AT ITS UPPER END, SECOND KEYING SAID STEERING BAR AND STEERING SLEEVE FOR LOCKING SAID PROPELLER ASSEMBLY FROM ROTATION IN RESPONSE TO POWER FROM SAID MOTIVE POWER SOURCE AND FOR POWER MEANS, AND STEERING POWER FROM SAID STEERING POWER MEANS, SAID STEERING POWER MEANS SECURED TO SAID FRAME, SAID STEERING GEAR MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID STEERING POWER MEANS AND BEARING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID STEERING GEAR MEANS WITHIN SAID FRAME; A PROPELLER ASSEMBLY RAISING MEANS INCLUDING A PROPELLER ASSEMBLY RAISING POWER MEANS SECURED TO THE TOP OF SAID FRAME, FLANGE MEANS RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOLLOW STEERING BAR, AND ELONGATED RAISING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID RAISING POWER MEANS AT ITS UPPER END AND COOPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FLANGE AT ITS LOWER END WHEREBY SAID HOLLOW STEERING BAR IS RAISED AND LOWERED IN RESPONSE TO POWER FROM SAID RAISING POWER MEANS; SAID ELONGATED RAISING MEANS EXTENDING INTO SAID HOLLOW STEERING BAR AND SAID DRIVE SHAFT EXTENDING INTO SAID FRAME WHEN SAID PROPELLER ASSEMBLY IS RAISES. 